How do I download a BigBlueButton recording as an MP4 video?

This is one of the most common BigBlueButton questions, and the short answer is: it depends on how the server is configured.

Why there is no download button by default. BigBlueButton does not record a single video. It records the separate parts of the session (audio, webcams, slides, whiteboard drawing, chat, screen share) and plays them back in an HTML5 player that puts them together in the browser. That makes playback interactive (you can jump between slides), but there is no single file to download.

The official way: enable the video format. BigBlueButton includes an optional recording format called *video* (package `bbb-playback-video`) that produces a single video file of the session. It is not enabled automatically; a server administrator has to install it and add it to the recording workflow. By default, recordings are processed as WebM; administrators can also switch the output to MP4 (H.264) in the format's configuration file. Only recordings processed after the change get the new format.

If you use a hosted service or the free Moodle plan, you cannot change the server. Check whether your provider offers downloads; the free BigBlueButton service for Moodle states that its recordings are not downloadable.

Workarounds people use: recording the playback with screen-capture software, or third-party conversion scripts. These work, but they take time and quality varies.

Before you share a recording, remember it contains participants' voices, images and chat. Make sure people were informed, and that downloading and sharing fits your privacy policy.

Some other tools, such as plugNmeet, record directly to MP4.